Review of Kaisa Saarinen’s ‘Voideuse’.

This collection of poetry, prose and photography by Kaisa Saarinen comes into being at a time when the importance of mixed-media art is becoming increasingly clear. Published by Feral Dove Books, ‘Voideuse’ ties its poetry and prose works together with an interesting set of images produced by the author herself. As the opening content warning delicately states, ‘these pages contain stage knives and safety needles’, and the sharp objects that seem to tear at the outer surfaces of bodies and spaces in this text certainly fulfil this statement. However, nestled between descriptions of discomfort, pain and suffering are unexpected moments of softness, which are often more powerful for their situation within a harsh landscape…